InsideNU has an article today to the effect that the basketball team needs to start winning more games if Collins is going to be able to sustain or even build on the recruiting success he has had so far. I agree with that. The writer goes on to say, though, that "...Welsh-Ryan received the much-needed, multi-million dollar facelift he clamored for upon arrival. Collins no longer has the crutch of 'wait until we get this scoreboard' or 'wait until I get my players'. He concludes that "All the tools for success are firmly in place." I think the scoreboards are great but if the writer thinks that the scoreboards, a new floor and some paint magically transformed our facilities from anything other than the worst in the conference, he's apparently never visited another major college campus before. Michigan, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana have spent or our spending between $50 million and $150 million to upgrade their already superior facilities. We put some really nice lipstick on the pig and the writer thinks Collins has everything he needs. Collins has had recruiting success because of a lot of factors (his personality and vision for the program, hard work, great staff, great school, promise of future success, proximity to Chicago, etc.) but Welsh Ryan ain't one of them.
Scoreboard
- Thread starter clarificationcat
- Start date
Spot on. NU has the worst arena of any major conference school. It is amazing what he is able to do given the lousy place his team plays in. But it ain't gonna change any time soon, so we just continue to put lipstick and mascara on the pig that is McGaw Hall!!
Sorry but I don't think Welsh-Ryan is the problem. It's the empty seats along with fans that don't know how to cheer at games.
Welsh-Ryan is interesting to me. The amenities are just downright pathetic- there is no argument there. The lack of bathrooms, mediocre at best food, lack of concessions, etc....it's all terrible. I personally don't care much about this stuff, but know that many do and that WR fails miserably in these areas. People also like to complain about the size, bench seats, etc...
But you know what, when that place is filled up for a big game, it's really a great atmosphere. The small size (which I believe is actually slightly bigger than Duke's arena) plays a big part in that, but it can get real loud in there and be a really fun place to see a game. Now, as mentioned, we just need to get more purple in the seats and continue to improve the product on the floor. I wouldn't be against a new arena, but I also believe that WR has proven it can be a great atmosphere for basketball under the right circumstances. We just need to have that effort on a more consistent basis and not just for when Ohio State and Michigan State come to town.
I agree. It can have a great atmosphere when filled with NU fans. From a recruiting perspective, though, it's something you have to overcome. I think they could put $20 to $30 million into and make it a perfectly fine arena. I think the bigger issue is filling it with NU fans and making the rest of the basketball facilities on par with the rest of the conference. Hopefully, winning on a consistent basis will attract 7,000 fans a game and moving the football facilities to the lakefront will at least provide an opportunity to improve the facilities (please no discussion on the timing for the football facilities).
The atmosphere at W-R is great, and it's actually quite fun (though less of a home court advantage) when there's a significant visiting fan presence.
Bleachers, however, are the worst.
Agree. The one thing they could do (presumably relatively cheaply) is install seats throughout the entire North and South stands. Bleachers are OK for the student sections. Would make the place look much better and way more comfortable for the fans. Even though it would likely reduce capacity, would mainly reduce seating for visitors and build in more of a home court advantage.
When the players are on the floor, I doubt it matters to them about the bench seats, or even the concessions and rest rooms. Things that make a difference to them, video boards, locker rooms, practice facilities and maybe the floor. Fans bitch and moan but I doubt that it makes that much difference for the players. I remember the scene in Hoosiers where they go to the arena where the championship is going to be played and he has them measuring off the court.
I don't disagree once players hit the floor. But when a potential recruit walks into an empty WR Arena, the first impression is pretty bad. And playing non-conference games in a half full barn with no students is not great either.
A better venue might lead to more Chicagoland fans coming to games and cheering for NU. Our biggest problem is getting the place packed with purple instead of half red or green or some other awful color.
Clarification, the average attendance this past year was 6914 for 18 games. I would suspect it will be up by about 300 to 400 this next year with all of the good recruiting. I agree with you or whoever said it that improvements would increase the ability to sell more seats, especially on the corporate level.
I wasn't being clear but I was trying to suggest that the program needs to get to the point where there are consistently 7,000 NU fans in the building. If there are a 1,000 plus opposing fans, I think it would still be a great atmosphere. When we sell out now, I think the ratio is more like 5/3. And I agree that improvements would attract more NU fans or fans we are trying to convert.
I went back and looked at the Big Ten games and there were two sellouts ( Purdue and Wisconsin and I would go with your 60/40 approximate in those games.) If you look at it though and it's not easy to find, the rest of the conference games were about 7500 plus and probably the only substantial outside attendance was Illinois, MSU and possibly Iowa. ( I hope I set this up correctly )
This may be an unpopular sentiment, but I worry that better seats / room on the north and south stands would detract from the W-R experience (when it is at its best). More comfortable for the individual means less density and fewer people immediately close to the court. Just my opinion / thought. Of course, I agree with all about the concessions / bathrooms, though I recognize the limitations of the physical plant as it stands.
I don't want a larger arena. 8,000 - 9,000 is just right for NU. I just want an arena that actually looks like it was designed for basketball, not a multi-purpose barn that should have been imploded in 1984. Maybe in 2025 NU will finally have a real, modern arena. We can dream............
When and hopefully if the football facility is completed there will be room for expansion of W-R. The practice court can be made into a nice entry way with concessions, even sit-down restaurants and the west and especially the east walls can be expanded, once the weight room and indoor facility are no longer needed, which would make room for larger concourses. Or you could move the court in a north-south configuration, as was proposed before the last expansion. The best idea in, blow the place up and play at DePaul's tax payer stadium for a couple of seasons, while a new arena is built.
I believe welsh-ryan is grandfathered into a handful of current code violations, and any updates aside from aesthetics will require a hefty price tag and major opening of space including the concourse and inside the arena aisles
Addressing a few of the items mentioned in this thread after having lunch with CC a few days back. We talked about a lot of things which I won't share on a public board, but in regards to facilities, he's aware of what the deficiency is, but knows it will take time. He doesn't think it will hinder recruiting much and his recent success seems to uphold that belief. When football finally moves to the Lakefront Practice facility, basketball will take over their space. Talking about poor fan attendance, especially students, I found his take refreshingly realistic. He said once they started winning, all of that would take care of itself. One final thing I will say is that his enthusiasm and energy is very contagious and he seems to really believe he can build a word-class competitive program here. I asked if he was getting all he needed from the administration and his answer was, in a nutshell, 'Yes'. I won't elaborate on the details of that conversation.
Finally, in regards to the scoreboards, he really loves them.
Finally, in regards to the scoreboards, he really loves them.
Addressing a few of the items mentioned in this thread after having lunch with CC a few days back. We talked about a lot of things which I won't share on a public board, but in regards to facilities, he's aware of what the deficiency is, but knows it will take time. He doesn't think it will hinder recruiting much and his recent success seems to uphold that belief. When football finally moves to the Lakefront Practice facility, basketball will take over their space. Talking about poor fan attendance, especially students, I found his take refreshingly realistic. He said once they started winning, all of that would take care of itself. One final thing I will say is that his enthusiasm and energy is very contagious and he seems to really believe he can build a word-class competitive program here. I asked if he was getting all he needed from the administration and his answer was, in a nutshell, 'Yes'. I won't elaborate on the details of that conversation.
Finally, in regards to the scoreboards, he really loves them.
Very interesting, thanks. Just to be clear, basketball will move their practice space into Trienens Hall? Will the teams move into locker rooms at the Walker facility, or will FB still need that for games?
Football doesn't need the Walker facility anymore. They'll get dressed at the motel, get off the bus in pads, and then meet W-R before the game to go over assignments.
I guess even if they did need it the place could be used for the 6 or 7 home games each season and the rest of the time for women's and men's hoops.
It will be used for more than games. I'll bet at least Friday pre-game practices before home games will be held there as well so players get comfortable with the routine.
Why not put the locker rooms in the Football office complex. There should be plenty of room for meetings, offices, and lockers there.
NJ, I didn't really ask the details, but he said MBB would move completely into the space occupied by football currently, and WBB would take over the current men's space. I didn't get the details as was it was more of a passing comment. Actually, Chris asked me what my thoughts were on the new scoreboards, which is what started the brief conversation about facilities and how they impact recruiting. I guess my viewpoint is that if CC is happy about the way things are going, I'm not going to complain. Obviously he looks at it from the team view and not the fan view, but he has a point that if they win, everything else falls into place.
Thanks. That trip to Walker Hall for halftime during games will be a cold one in January!
Last edited:
Similar threads
